Following James Riley’s departure from the club, Ballard FC has elevated former assistant Mutanda Kwesele to the head coach position. Kwesele joined the Ballard staff in 2024 as First Assistant Coach and served as Associate Head Coach for the 2025 season, where he helped The Bridges grab a third straight division title and a second Western Division Championship on their way to the USL2 National Championship game.
The move assures consistency in a league where turnover is the norm, which will be important as Ballard begins their US Open Cup qualifying campaign in November before settling in to build their roster for the 2026 USL2 season.
Prior to coming to Ballard FC, Kwesele coached at Rainier Beach High School and with the Columbus Crew Academy’s U-14 team. He is also the founder and director of The Rising Point, an organization devoted to using soccer to provide opportunities for youth in underserved communities.
Kwesele played at Seattle Prep High School, Santa Clara University, and Seattle University. After college, he played for the Tacoma Tide and Portland Timbers U-23.
Sounder at Heart spoke with Ballard FC President Sam Zisette about the departure of Riley, the coaching change, and the challenges of finding consistency and quality at the USL2 level. He was quick to emphasize the role that the club plays in the development of everyone involved in the operation, and acknowledged the challenges faced by coaches at this level. “This job is intense for three months a year, and really quiet for nine. It’s great experience, but we don’t expect anyone to stay here forever. We want everyone who comes here to leverage Ballard FC to get bigger and better opportunities in their life.”
Finding as much consistency on the pitch as possible has been the foremost challenge for Ballard since their inception. With a roster built mostly of college players, turning over less than half the squad each season is a huge win. Similarly, keeping consistency at the coaching position is a challenge, because anyone who wants this job and excels at it is quickly going to have opportunities elsewhere in soccer.
Zisette continued, “Mutanda stepping into this role is great for the players and the organization because there is a familiarity there. The returning players already know him and respond really well to him. He will just be able to pick up where we left off last season.”
And Kwesele will need to be on the front foot from the start, as Ballard FC begins their 2026 US Open Cup campaign with third-round qualifying in November.
Despite finishing as national runners-up, Ballard did not receive an automatic bid to next year’s edition of the US Open Cup, having fallen just short of the regular season point total needed for qualification. Instead, they received byes to the third round of qualifying and will play two straight single-elimination matches against amateur competition in November.
About the impending US Open Cup, Kwesele said, “the club is used to playing in big matches and competing for titles, so we’re looking forward to continuing that tradition. This year, that process begins with qualifiers, so we’ll prepare for those with the same attitude that we carry with us always; with gratitude for the opportunity and excitement for the challenge.”
It will be a challenge. NCAA rules prohibit Ballard from fielding any college players, which is the bulk of their regular-season roster, so the club will bring in former players and a collection of all-stars to build a roster for qualifying. According to Zisette, you can expect to see former Ballard standouts Khai Briscoe, Omar Grey, Eric Lagos, and Declan McGlynn alongside former Sounders Jordan McCrary, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Lamar Neagle, and Kelyn Rowe. Ballard will also draw players from the Washington Athletic Club team, who participated in last year's Open Cup.
